-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Henning Ludeke wrote: > Let me know if there's a need for research or contributions from a > theoretical (visual arts theory) perspective, > or if there are other art theorists on the list. > > I want to see Ubuntu making a serious statement on next release. > (Let's give the guys in Redmond & Infinite Loop a scare).
Amen. I personally welcome more formally trained artists to this list. There are a few others out there with formal degrees in design / art, but they tend to be kludged to death by the 'way things are'. The more that are here to stay the better. +1 to formal training. Please, if you can bear it, stay here. Thorsten Wilms wrote: > Keep collaborating? If things go on like this, there will be nothing but > random opinions and mockups until 8.04. Absolutely. In the absence of focusing on a target, we get what we have now. Everyone in their mind has a target, and yet when we are dealing with the specifics of implementing a scheme, no one states it clearly. Repeat it over and over: Audience and Concept. Jayson Rowe wrote: > Look at what Fedora 8 did with their new default theme Nodkia or whatever > it's called > I personally think the default theme should be as Generic as possible > while still looking nice. And that statement is _exactly_ the temperment that gets us to where we are now. This is the recipe for utterly tepid delivery, bland presentation, and the rubbish that we see all over Free Software. Diana Fong did a _tremendous_ job with Fedora 5 through 7 and the work of 8 without her is utter tripe. It is curvey swoopy curls with zero concept, monochromatic monotony, and utterly bland presentation. Apples to oranges. Fedora made a complete debacle with Fedora 8 having to follow up on the progressive evolutions of 5-7. Back to Aesop -- try to please everyone and... It is a hideously ironic shame that an article was written accolading Fedora's work when 8 is but a dribble compared to the previous work of Fong's (and the folks who helped arrive at the concept etc.) Thorsten Wilms wrote: > I think we are through with all the same opinions than come up every > time it's about theming. So can we please just wait for more art > direction and otherwise just work on mockups? Even the mockups are a waste of time considering the distinct lack of 'Who are we talking to?' and 'What are we trying to do?'. The pinnacle of this approach is probably (*sigh*) Apple. All of the earmarks of solid design are present in their approach for Leopard: 1) Clearly defined audience. It is no strange wonder why 'easy', 'simple', 'just a click' abounds through their presentations for Leopard. Notice how the presenter in the videos aren't suit-and-tie businessmen but rather a semi-casual professional. Every part of their presentation is geared to their audience. There is a good reason why they choose a 20something hip fellow for their "I'm a PC, I'm a mac" commercials from last year. Notice the lack of rather crusty looking older men promoting Ubuntu Live and the distinct absence of Wal-Mart flash photography with happy people. 2) Strong concept that bleeds throughout their presentation. Time Machine is their anchor for Leopard. Spacey connotations and attachments to awe are easily visible in the godray based 'time machine spacey' wallpaper. Backmasking in their video furthers this concept along. 3) Overarching design trends. While Vista is about three years late with that hideous gloss that still echoes on the gem buttons of OSX, you can see a complete overhaul happening away from that glossy trend. There is a 'movement' at play, and it is leading in a _new_ direction. It doesn't happen alone either -- even a precursory examination of contemporary design magazines will show you trends that make it quite obvious that the era of gummy shiney buttons is gone and we have a plethora of new stylistic tendencies filling the void. This does _not_ mean that there is a vacuum of style with the trend away from gloss -- but rather newer styles fill the void. Sincerely, TJS -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFHbuBKar0EasPEHjQRAuq0AKDNQhI8Y6K83/yQQVrnSUXSFiCIEwCfdZCc e4cGRLuJiwamdmQukXLSGoM= =Rmgc -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- ubuntu-art mailing list ubuntu-art@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-art
